Wiring a 3rd speaker into small Hi-Fi ??

Guest

I know that what I am questioning is probably not 'AV correct' and that I might not get the best sound quality etc but I would still like to know if possible:

I want to know if I can wire a 3rd speaker into a Bookshelf Hi-Fi system for use in downstairs toilet/shower:

I was thinking of getting a small Sony Bookshelf Hi-Fi system like a Sony CMT-NE3 or CMT-SE1 (I work for Sony so get a discount), to have in the kitchen and wanted to know the possibilities/limits/dangers of wiring in a 3rd speaker into one of the channels. For this purpose I have a spare 60W speaker from a 5.1 Sony theatre kit that is the ideal size for me to have mounted in the top corner of my bathroom in the opposite corner to the shower (having music in the shower has always been a dream of mine )

Would this be possible? Does the speaker wattage have to be greater than or less than the hi-fi?

Guest

Seem to remember amps clipping and eventually not working at all after trying this when parents left us for a weekend - Didn't go down well . The Sony is probably good for single room use where you need background rather than HI-Fi sound quality. I certainly wouldn't add more than 2 (easy to run) speakers. Probably be better off getting 2 similar systems if you get the discount or putting in a switch box to feed it through to a seperate set of speakers.

Standard Member

Hi, This info was written by Brian Eno - Taken from the cover of 'Ambient 4: On Land' 1982 release. A friend of mine has been using a system like this for years with no problems with clipping. Don't forget you will not get full sound from the 3rd unit, you get a kind of surround sound effect. Give it a go anyway and see how it sounds. It sounds like just what your after.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A three-way speaker system that is both simple to install and inexpensive, and which seems to work very well on any music with a broad stereo image. The effect is subtle but definite - it opens out the music and seems to enlarge the room acoustically.

In addition to a normal stereo hifi system all that is required is one extra loudspeaker and some speaker cable. The usage of this speaker in the three-way system is such that it will not be required to handle very low frequencies: therefore a small or "mini" speaker will be adequate.

As shown in the diagram, the two terminals of the new speaker are connected to the two positive (red) speaker connectors on the amplifier. This speaker is located somewhere behind the listener - at the apex of a triangle whose base is formed by the original loudspeaker set-up. One of the unexpected benefits of this system is an increase in the usable listening area - almost any point in the room will yield good (although not necessarily "accurate") stereo sound.

What seems to happen is that the third speaker reproduces any sound that is not common to both sides of the stereo - i.e., everything that is not located centrally in the stereo image - and I assume that this is because the common information is put out of phase with itself and cancels out.

More technically, the lower the impedance of the added speaker, the louder it will sound. If it is found to be too loud (although this rarely seems to happen), you can either insert a potentiometer (6-12 ohms, at least 10 watts) into the circuit, or move the speaker further away.

Standard Member

I Believe I said that was a great idea!!! Fairly positive don't you think?

Anyways Mark66 wrote

"I want to know if I can wire a 3rd speaker into a Bookshelf Hi-Fi system for use in downstairs toilet/shower:"

How is he to realize a surround effect in another room?

Cheers

Click to expand...

Sorry emtee . I was in a grumpy mood last night and you got a bit of the fallout , please accept my apologies.
I also misunderstood Marks requirements, he wants to run a separate single speaker off to the bathroom, right? in which case as you rightly stated, my suggestion would not be appropriate. Apologies again for my misunderstanding, I will go away into a corner and repremand myself severly .

.

Men stumble over the truth from time to time, but most pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing happened